Trustworthy Rock Painters
I was struck by the class' discussion about social learning networks this week and the conversation about trust online. It made me think about grandfather. My grandfather spent nearly all of his adult life without using computers, and, by proxy, social media. He is still not much of social media user, though he does pop on to Facebook from time to time to wish old friends a happy a birthday.
His major internet use involves an email subscription to a newsletter relating to woodworking for senior citizens. He was an active woodworker for much of his life and now finds a great amount of joy in receiving this newsletter. He has recently found a niche subset of the newsletter (which is associated with a small forum) of woodworkers who also enjoy painting rocks. Yes, painting rocks. They paint landscape scenes, animals, portraits, what have you, on rocks big and small. My grandfather finds rock-painting soothing and creative, especially when he isn't feeling up to woodworking. This group of rock painters speak to each other about their techniques, their materials used, and post photos of in-progress and completed paintings. (When he told me about this, I was amazed, though I'm not sure why; it's another lesson that community can be found anywhere on the internet.)
My grandfather is a gregarious man, but has always been skeptical of the internet and communication via the internet. He is not naturally trustworthy of folks sitting behind a username. I've made many friends via social media and have gone on to meet some of them in person. When I talk to him about this, he often schools me on safety and making sure I'm careful. But he has found a group in his woodworkers/rock painters who he trusts. He sends them messages asking about their families and daily lives and he responds to their questions in kind. I'm sure, if given the chance, he would be glad to meet them in person. I think perhaps his initial distrust spanned from many years on the very edge of technology, a generational gap of sorts, but it took a community of his own to make him realize the extent to which one can find community via the web.
His major internet use involves an email subscription to a newsletter relating to woodworking for senior citizens. He was an active woodworker for much of his life and now finds a great amount of joy in receiving this newsletter. He has recently found a niche subset of the newsletter (which is associated with a small forum) of woodworkers who also enjoy painting rocks. Yes, painting rocks. They paint landscape scenes, animals, portraits, what have you, on rocks big and small. My grandfather finds rock-painting soothing and creative, especially when he isn't feeling up to woodworking. This group of rock painters speak to each other about their techniques, their materials used, and post photos of in-progress and completed paintings. (When he told me about this, I was amazed, though I'm not sure why; it's another lesson that community can be found anywhere on the internet.)
My grandfather is a gregarious man, but has always been skeptical of the internet and communication via the internet. He is not naturally trustworthy of folks sitting behind a username. I've made many friends via social media and have gone on to meet some of them in person. When I talk to him about this, he often schools me on safety and making sure I'm careful. But he has found a group in his woodworkers/rock painters who he trusts. He sends them messages asking about their families and daily lives and he responds to their questions in kind. I'm sure, if given the chance, he would be glad to meet them in person. I think perhaps his initial distrust spanned from many years on the very edge of technology, a generational gap of sorts, but it took a community of his own to make him realize the extent to which one can find community via the web.
It's a community! There really is something for everyone out there :)
ReplyDelete